As far as sci-fi movies go, the ones about superheroes have always been adored by Filipinos. Our admiration can be traced from a lot of reasons (most of which seem almost superficial), such as their charming looks, tremendous wealth, and heart-stopping charisma. But superheroes are more than these things since they also possess a level of intellect comparable to Hawking, and most importantly, an unwavering tendency to save other people. In a modern world spurred by technology, it’s difficult to resist imagining that people who have extraordinary abilities actually exist because as Peter Tangen says, “They are fantasies of what we may become." In other words, the superhero universe is reflected on our society, wherein good and bad guys coexist. The villain, of course, is the person who committed the crime and the superhero is the government since they enforce the law. Superheroes in our world might not be able to fly or stop a moving train, but they do have the power to help and protect people’s lives. However, after recent events, we find it hard to believe that the government is capable of such noble acts. Since the political scandal of the Pork Barrel Fund scam caught the media’s attention, senators, congressmen, cabinet members, and various other government employees are continuously being accused and investigated for graft, corruption and plunder. Just imagine Superman getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar. It’s embarrassing, and worse still, they keep insisting their innocence by means of half-hearted jokes, wasted privilege speeches, and dramatic antics. According to Rappler, 54 government officials —that’s more than the Justice League and the Avengers combined— were accused of participating in the said scam, which involves almost P10 billion worth of funding for "ghost projects" through fake foundations and non-government organizations (NGOs). This provoked many Filipinos to engage in angry public protests and serious debates online, demanding the abolition of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and immediate arrest of the officials involved. But the scandal didn’t stop there. Janet Napoles, alleged mastermind, has claimed possession of a mysterious list containing all the names who were involved in the PDAF scam and it has caused apprehension rather than comfort in people because it meant that more public officials could be guilty of corruption. Are 54 people not enough? For years, we have endured this kind of situations but I have never thought that the Philippine government could sink this low. Granted, not all public officials are corrupt but very few of them have the balls to fight corruption, which is what we desperately need now more than ever. When you search the meaning of public office, i.e. the government, in the Philippine Constitution, it states that officials must serve the people with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty, and efficiency, act with patriotism and justice, and lead modest lives. The Constitution could have just as easily been describing a real superhero that is brave, honest and dedicated to fighting evil. Sadly, the only trait that genuine government leaders and superheroes share in our society is being fictitious. So, the ultimate reason why we love superheroes is because somehow it compensates our yearning for better government officials. If one were to think about this carefully, our government leaders are actually the embodiment of our crazy fantasies, but rather than them playing the protagonist, they become the villain. Yes, superheroes and government officials both have their own personal lives to contend with their responsibilities but it should not compel them to take the kaban ng bayan for mere self-indulgence. Public service does not entitle officials that kind of right. It should not mean that the duties they do for our country is at the expense of people suffering. We want our government leaders to become superheroes. We want to see them inspire people to pursue the same endeavors and inherit their virtues. We want to be able to trust the government and tell our future children that public officials are to be regarded as role models. Essentially, we want to believe that our government can improve our society. But we can only hope and pray that one day, our government officials will realize that helping Filipinos creates a significant impact, not only to our lives but also on theirs. That is why we should continue to have faith in the government because, like all superhero movies, goodness always prevails.
